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tv   Newsline  PBS  June 18, 2013 7:00pm-7:31pm PDT

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hello, there. welcome to "newsline," it's wednesday, june 19th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. diplomats say they'll meet this week with representatives of the taliban. american-led forces have fought the insurgents in afghanistan for almost 12 years. now both sides say they're ready to sit down again to resume their push for peace. the taliban opened an office in the qatari capital, doha. representatives say they'll use it to look for peaceful pollutions to the situation back home. the two sides started negotiating in doha in 2010. but last year, they got into a disagreement over whether delegates of the afghan government should take part.
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negotiators for the taliban are expected to repeat their demand that the americans release a group of prisoners. in return, the americans are expect to ask the taliban to break ties with al qaeda, and end their campaign of violence. the announcementses came on the same day that afghan forces took over the lead on security from nato soldiers. the leaders of the world's wealthiest economies have shared their thoughts on everything from global financial markets to the civil war in syria. but they didn't always agree. the heads of the group of eight nations wrapped up their summit at a resort in northern ireland. they said they would take a tougher stance on money laundering, but offered few specifics. >> we launched negotiations on the biggest bilateral trade deal in history. we agreed a lock earn declaration that has the potential to rewrite the rules on tax and transparency for the benefit of countries right across the world, including the
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poorest countries of the world. >> the leaders agree that tax authorities in their countries would do more to share information. they want to better track the profits of international corporations to make sure they pay their fair share. they found less common ground on syria. >> it's no secret that there were very different views around the g-8 table. but we all share a vital interest in bringing this conflict to an end, and helping the syrian people to achieve the change they want. >> cameron said they would increase the pressure on government and opposition leaders in syria to hold peace talks as soon as possible. he said diplomats would work together to push groups such as al qaeda and the lebanese militant organization, hezbollah, out of syria. but the g-8 leaders failed to agree on what to do about syrian president bashar al assad. it became clear that russian leaders are reluctant to abandon their long-time allies in damascus. the leaders promised in a joint
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statement to lead a global economic recovery. but they acknowledged that economic prospects worldwide are still weak. nhk world's torrealba key an my has more from belfast. >> reporter: the g- 8 members walk together. issues include sluggish markets and state finances. but the sentiments acknowledged that each country would tackle issues at its own pace. each country's economic circumstances are different. this showed us that they arrive -- meanwhile, shin zoe abe's economic policies show potential. recovery in japan will help
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drive global growth. japan has the world's largest economy. to contribute to global economic growth. >> translator: by implementing our economic and fiscal policies, we have to pull japan out of deflation, regain a strong economy, and contribute to the world economic recovery. >> reporter: but some leaders pointed out that monetary easing by japan and the u.s. could have a negative impact. the two countries are experiencing some economic recovery, but this is gradually due to aggressive monetary easing. stocks in the currency markets
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expanding from future u.s. monetary policy. the joint statement is to achieve global economic recovery. the g-8 countries now need to implement specific strategies to realize that. toskhi, ali, nhk world, belfast. two suicide bombers have attacked a shia mosque in baghdad. they killed at least 31 people. more than 1,000 people were killed in attacks across iraq last month. the highest figure in five years. the bomber shot and killed a security guard at the entrance to the mosque, then detonated their explosives. worshippers had crowded inside to pray together. sunni groups have targeted their shia rivals in several recent attacks. they were responding to previous assaults on their mosques. iraqi government forces are
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doing what they can to tighten security. residents of northern india have seen day after day of torrential rains. at least 54 people in the state of utera chan have died. the rains have made roads impassable. the flooding has can cut off pill grams heading to a hindu ridges site. more than 60,000 people are stranded. emergency workers have been challenged to get to the area over land. so indian forces have flown in to see how they can help. >> thousands of residents are still waiting to go home. vast tracts of land are still waiting to be restored. and more than half the fishing ports on the pacific coast must be rebuilt. people in northeastern japan still face challenges following the 2011 disaster, but step by step, they're moving forward.
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see their stories every wednesday on "the road ahead" right here on "newsline." nuclear regulators in japan are trying to learn from the mistakes of the past. they're introducing a set of stricter safety guidelines for plants across the country. the guidelines from japan's nuclear regulation authority owe bloej raters to take steps to deal with severe accidents. up until now, such measures have been voluntarily tear. the guidelines ask operators to draw up emergency scenarios for stronger earthquakes and tsunami. the regulators plan to start receiving applications for restarting plants on july 8th. the day the guidelines are scheduled to take effect. the operators of six plants are preparing to apply to go back online. the regulators say they'll need at least six months to screen their applications. but power company executives may have to wait longer than that. they'll also need to get the approval of the governments that host the plants.
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reactors across the country went offline, one by one, after the nuclear accident two years ago in fukushima. government leaders allowed one plant to restart operations last year. people who work at ports in japan are busy. they're loading and unloading containers full of goods. iuchida has the latest trade data. >> good morning, kathryn. looks like the guys at the ports did more unloading than loading last month. japan's trade balance posted a deficit for the 11th straight month, mainly due to higher costs of fuel imports as the yen has continued to weaken. finance ministry officials said the trade deficit came to about $994 billion yen or just over $10 billion. it's the largest monthly deficit for the month since 1979, when comparable data became available. exports rose 10.1% from a year earlier in yen terms. that's up for a third consecutive month.
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exports to the u.s. were up by 16.3%. now, imports, that rose, as well, 10%. they increased for a seventh straight month. higher demand for crude oil and liquified natural gas was a major factor. in another piece of economic data for you, housing starts are seen as a key indicate for for the u.s. economy. the housing market is showing signs of steady improvement. u.s. commerce department officials say housing starts climbed 6.8% in may from the previous month. that translates into an annual rate of 914,000, though it was below market expectations of 950,000. but the indicator is still on track as the march figure topped 1 million for the first time in about five years. and that hasn't been seen since before the financial crisis. starts of detached houses rose 0.3% last month. those for condos built for at
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least five households surged 24.9%. the u.s. housing sector is rising high on record low mortgage rates brought by monetary easing and the price of housing is rising. u.s. markets show steady growth in the housing market. the dow jones finished up .9 of a percent at 15,318. to see how all that will affect stock prices here, let's go to rah mean medical guard at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, all eyes on the fed policy meeting which wraps up later today. how are markets here moving ahead of that? >> very good morning, yes indeed. a lot of market participants want to hear what fed chairman bernanke is going to be saying at the news conference which follows the fomc meeting. let's have a look at the opening levels here for the nikkei and the topics for this wednesday. and both indexes well into the positive there, up 2%, both
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indexes, 13,289 for the neck kay, 1,110 for the topix. let me remind viewers both ended mixed yesterday, very noncommittal trading day, not surprising, given that the focus is on what transpires later today in the u.s., the fomc meeting and the biggest focus for market players is when and how the fed may taper off its bond-buying program. that's a big focus, of course. and judging by the triple-digit gains we have seen from the dow jones industrial average and triple digit gains we see for the in this case kay, the market seems to be saying that the fed will not taper soon, and will continue this $85 billion worth a month of its bond purchases and will also be checking data throughout the summer. so that's one thing that the market players will be looking out. so many investors really expect the nikkei, as well as other indexes here and the dollar pairs to trade within a tight
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range. we'll keep track of all of those, of course. >> and speaking of which, ramin, we have seen the dollar gaining ahead of the fomc later today. where do we stand this wednesday morning here in tokyo? >> let's have a look, shall we? the dollar currently coming up right now on the screens, 95.50 to 54, having gained from lower 94 levels that we saw earlier this week. so the dollar has steadily been gaining and we may see it break above 96 yen, according to analysts i spoke to, if bernanke reassures markets at his news conference. so that's a big focus there. now, the euro yen, the single currency did get a boost after upbeat economic sentiment data from germany and quotes from the european central bank president, mario draghi, that the ecb wouldn't hesitate to taking necessary measures to prop up the economy. and that really supported the euro, as well. 127.88 to 93 is now trading higher, compared to lower 125 yen levels on monday. so really, the market reaction
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to the fomc will be the big focus and whether bernanke will actually spell out a clear schedule for tapering off of the bond program. that's really going to direct markets here, as well as europe and the u.s. later. back to you. >> sounds good. thanks a lot, rah mean medical guard at the tokyo stock exchange. tokyo is not the only market open this hour. i'll leave you with a look.
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people in singapore and parts of malaysia have been coughing and rubbing their eyes recently. a blanket of smoke has drifted in from indonesia. field burning causes the annual haze. but the problem is particularly bad this year, creating diplomatic heat over who is to blame. nhk world's mark ho reports from singapore. >> here in singapore, the entire city is covered with smoky haze, and the acrid smell that fills the air. the haze has shrouded singapore since last week. >> as you can see, it's very, very hazy at the moment. and in my case, she is currently sick. >> reporter: the smoke comes from burn farming on the
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indonesian island of sumatra which sometimes causes forest fires. seasonal winds blow smoke across. hazy skies are an annual phenomenon. the singaporean government has analyzed images and found more forest fires than average on assume mat rah this year. a gauge of air pollution on monday night hit its highest level in 16 years. singapore and malaysia have both urged indonesia to tackle the problem. but indonesia says singaporean and malaysian companies also burning the fields and generating the smoke. it's escalating into a diplomatic issue. the three countries are scheduled to hold a ministerial level meeting soon to discuss the situation. for the time being, singapore is urging children and the elderly to stay indoors. as the haze is expected to linger for several more days.
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nhk world, singapore. residents of myanmar have some new places to run to in the event of a natural disaster. workers have built elementary schools that could also serve as shelters. a cyclone in 2008 devastated the region. more than 130,000 people died or went missing. the japanese government donated about $6 million to build 13 schools. representatives of both countries joined together in a ceremony to celebrate the opening. >> translator: japan is a country prone to disasters, and we hope to support myanmar by sharing our experiences. >> workers racised up the groun floors. they hope it will give people a place to find refuge. yahoo! is the latest company
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to announce it received requests relat related to covert u.s. surveillance program. ceo marissa mayer says facebook, microsoft and apple have already revealed their figures. m mayer says they received between 12 and 13,000 requests between december last year and may. they said it concerned fraud, homicides, kidnappings and other criminal investigations. she says the company cannot disclose how many requests were related to intelligence matters, because the information is classified. google executives have asked authorities to allow them to release more information on the data requests. they say their users want details. a former contractor for the national security agency disclosed the nsa was collecting personal data from major telecom and i.t. companies. edward snowden revelations have prompted the public to criticize the u.s. government and the firms.
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this is the face of terror. a man about to be executed for a crime he didn't commit. millions of people in the former soviet union lost their lives under the regime of joseph stalin. the worst period during the 1930s came to be known as the great purge, or the great terror. a polish photo journalist spent four years documenting what happened. now he's published some portraits of the past. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this album of photos, entitled "the great terror, 1937-1938," was published in march. the book includes portraits of 60 people can killed during that period of repression. all of them were arrested and sentenced to death. most were executed within days.
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in the 1930s, stalin unleashed a massive campaign of political repressi repression, targeting senior party and military officers, as well as ordinary people, accused of being enemies of the soviet union. in 1937 and '38 alone, around 700,000 people were executed on trumped-up charges. the photo album is a work of polish photo journalist thomas kissney. part of his project to publicize the crimes carried out by the state during the soviet era. >> it's just images we see that give power to our project. >> reporter: for four years, from 2008, kizney traveled throughout the former ussr, visiting places associated with the great purge. the book also contained
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testimonies from relatives of the victims. >> they lined all of us children up against the wall and suddenly started to hit our father in the face. his face was bleeding, and he spat out some broken teeth. >> i was in my first month of pregnancy when they took my husband away. he died without knowing that he was going to have a son. >> reporter: during the 1980s, poland was still under communist rule. as a photo journalist, kizney used his camera to oppose the regime and to document the democracy movement. his deep opposition to political repression led to a growing interest in the great purge in the soviet union. published in france, as well as poland, the book has generated renewed interest in stalin's atrocities. last month, kizney was invited to participate in the photography festival in france.
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kizney's photos also show execution and mass burial site as they look today. one of those sites is now a garbage dump, and gives no indication of the tragedies that occurred there. kizney hopes his images will force viewers to confront the rarity of the atrocities. >> this is a place which is shocking. there are mass graves of the stalin terror with the garbage dump, and it's also a sign, in a way, of the culture in memory in russia today. to know you have to imagine. it is -- it could be a matter for all our book. >> translator: those scenes seem peaceful and natural, but then you realize they're actually the sites where things occurred that are extremely heavy and dark. >> reporter: stalin has been dead for 60 years. but there are moves now in russia to rehabilitate him for
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his strengths as a wartime leader. because of this, kizney now thinks that publishing his book in russia will be significant. >> it might be a small breach to build a society in russia, which is necessary to know the past -- the memory, to build the contemporary civil society in russia today. >> reporter: kizney believes if we want to call ourselves human, we must not forget the tragedies of the past. he remains adamant in his opposition to repression. nhk world, paris. time now for a check on world weather. people in the philippines, taiwan and some parts of japan are dealing with stormy weather conditions. meteorologist sayaka mori.
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>> over the philippines, taiwan, and the southwestern islands of japan, stormy conditions. this is the fourth tropical storm of the western pacific typhoon season of 2013. this is moving up towards the north approaching taiwan and the southwestern islands of japan into tomorrow, and then there towards the north, aiming for mainland japan, while weakening. five-meter high waves expected with gusts of winds nearly 100 kilometers per hour wednesday and more serious conditions thursday. now, it looks like rainfall is going to be quite significant. 200 millimeters likely in okinawa. 150 millimeters of rain in the northern parts of the philippines, enough to trigger flooding as well as landslides. and whether or not the system makes landfall in japan or not, we are highly likely we will receive very heavy rain because ample moisture from the tropical storm will enhance the seasonal
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front line, which is now lying over the southern edge of the korean peninsula into the region. the system is expected to move down towards the south, and reach the pacific side of the country about 200 millimeters of rain likely in some places. flooding landslides, mudslides, all going to be a concern. and, again, going to friday, because of the system, tropical system, we could be seeing some very heavy rain into friday. now, temperatures are going to be not bad in tokyo. 30 degrees for you, despite the rainy weather. 30 degrees in seoul, as well. and china has been content with excessive heat, no mitigation in sight. 38 degrees for you in chong jing. take risk to avoid heatstroke. in north america, we are seeing a tropical depression over the yucatan peninsula, bringing lots of rain for southern parts of mexico, gaut mal and bell lazy. 250 millimeters likely so
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flooding mudslides an issue, particularly in the mountainous areas. towards the northwest, the station will bring in rain and thundershowers for parts of british columbia, the pacific northwest and northern parts of the rockies. montana is going to be the hardest hit area. towards the east then we are seeing some heavy, severe weather erupting across the colorado state. one tornado has been reported. this severe weather will continue into your wednesday. a similar situation is occurring across the southern parts of the great lakes region. temperatures are going to be hovering very high in phoenix at 41 degrees for you. 27 in l.a. on wednesday. finally in europe, heavy rain has been battering parts of france. to show you the situation, take a look at this video. french authorities shut the grotto and evacuated about 200 people following flash floods at the catholic site. heavy rain and unusual snowfall in the area led to above normal
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levels. the site attracts millions of visitors every year but is temporarily closed to the public. conditions are going to be on the severe side for the time being, because of the stationary low pressure system, and temperatures are going to be cooler than average across the west. but much hard hotter than average across the east, going up to 35 degrees on thursday in berlin. but paris going down by about 10 degrees as we go into thursday. here's the extended forecast.
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that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more at the top of the hour.
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and here we are on an absolutely spectacular, sunny summer afternoon on lake shasta up here in northern california. that's snow-covered mount shasta right over there. now, lake shasta holds the distinction of being the largest man-made lake in the entire state of california. it's also known as the houseboat capital of the world, because on any given day during the summer months, there are over 400 houseboats out on this lake,

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